Charge-humidifying device for internal-combustion engines



A. s. KINCAID.

CHARGE HUMIDIEYING DEVICE FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES. APPLICATIONHLED 001-6, 1920.

1 ,397,837, Patented N0v.'22, 1921.

FEE-- 1 4 gwu ntoz Af'uhihald ELKiHBBiIi m wwf gf i UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE.

ABCEIBALD S. KINCAID, 0F SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, ASSIGNOR T'O L. L.PATTERSON 0F SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 22, 1921.

Application filed October 6, 1920. Serial No. 415,012.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARCHIBALD S. KINGAID, a citizen of the United Statesof America, and resident of the city of Seattle, in the county of Kingand State of Washington, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Charge-Humidifying Devices for Internal-CombustionEngines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to devices intended for the purpose of supplyingwater vapor to the charge of an internal combustion engine.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple and effective meansfor supplying such vapor to the charge, which means will automaticallybe brought into action without necessity for manually controlling anyvalves, whenever the engine is running.

My invention consists of the novel features of construction andcombinations of parts which will first be herein described and thenparticularly defined by the claims.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown the manner of constructing andapplying my invention which I now prefer to use.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of an automobile engine within its hood,showing the application of my invention thereto.

Fig. 2 is a transverse section through the member by which the supply ofwater and its vaporization is controlled.

Fig. 3 is a transverse section through that part of the device shown inFig. 2 which contains the discharge ports.

Fig. 4 is a section through an injection and control device which it hasbeen found desirable to use with my waterva-porizing device.

It is a recognized fact among the users of internal combustion enginesthat they work to better advantage, both as to the production of power,quietness of running, and freedom from carbon deposits, if a smallpercentage of water vapor be introduced into the charge. If the airtaken in as a part of the charge be heavily loaded with moisture, thenecessity for adding water vapor thereto may be very largely reduced andpossibly substantially eliminated. At most times, however, it is adistinct advantage to add a small percentage of water vapor to the chaIn devices which have heretofore been designed for this purpose it hasbeen most generally necessary to provide some means for adjusting thedevice in order to place it into use. In my present invention I haveproduced a construction by the use of which the device willautomatically be brought into act on whenever the engine is started andits action Wlll be cut off whenever the engine stops.

' In Fig. 1 I have shown in outline a side vlew of an automobile enginein which 1 represents the intake manifold and 2the exhaust manifold. Adevice such as shown in F igs. and 3 is provided for supplying andvaporizing the water which it is desired to inject into the charge,through the injector shown in Fig. 4. This vaporizing device consists oftwo principal parts, one being a means for automatically controlling thesupply of water to the vaporizer and the other being the vaporizer bywhich this water is turned into steam or aqueous vapor.

Water is supplied to the vaporizing device from any suitable source, asthe water-jacket of the engine 3, through a conductor, as the pipe 30,to the water control and vaporizing device shown in Figs. 2 and 3. Thisdevice, which is indicated as a whole by the reference character 4, hasa float chamber 40 in which is placed a float 5 The inlet to thischamber is herein shown as being at the bottom thereof, to which thewater supply pipe 30 is connected in any suitable manner. The particularmanner and place of connecting the water supply to the float chamber isimmaterial. Where connected at the bottom, as shown in Fig. 2, a valve50 is shown as closing the inlet opening by a movement from without thechamber 40, upwardly. The particular manner of controlling the watersupply is also immaterial, as is the source thereof. I prefer to drawwater from the engines water jacket rather than from a separate tank,for there is less likelihood of this running dry. A tank might beemployed for air-cooled engines.

The valve 50 is secured to a stem 51 which in turn is secured to thefloat 5. I have shown this stem 51 as also extending through the coverll of the float chamber. In this condition it is possible to force thevalve from. its seat by pressing upon the proje t.

ing end of the stem 51, should this at any time be desired. By the aboveconstruction thelevel of Water in the controlling chamber 41 will bemaintained constant.

Extending laterally from the float and controlling chamber 40, is asmall vaporizing chamber 42 which has its outer end preferably threaded,so that it may be screwed into and through the side wall of the exhaustmanifold 2. This chamber, when in use, is closed except for the portswhich will be described. As a convenience in manufacture, the endthereof which extends into the exhaust manifold is shown as being closedby a disk 43 which is inserted during the process of manufacture. Theend of this chamber which is toward the float chamber is separatedtherefrom by a wall 44, excepting that this wall has a small port 415connecting the bottom level of the vaporizing chamber 4-2 with the lowerportion of the float chamber. A steam discharge port 61 leads laterallyfrom the top of the vaporizing chamber to'join a vertical passage 6, towhich is connected a small'pipe 60 which extends to and discharges intothe inlet manifold 1, at a point betweenthe carbureter and the enginecylinders, through the jet '7. The steam generated in the chamber 42 bythe heat of the exhaustis continuously discharged through the pipe 60into the intake manifold.

The level of water maintained by the float 5 is one which'will retainthe water level in the vaporizing chamber at substantially half of itsheight. At a point in the passage 6 there is a small discharge opening62 connecting this passage and the upper portion of the float chamber.Through this opening 62 steam is discharged before the pressuregenerated can become an appreciable amount. Vents 46 in the cover ilpermit the vapor to be relieved to the atmosphere, while any water whichmay be drawn through the opening 62 therewith, remains in the floatchamber. V V i In starting up the engine the heat of the exhaust willvery quickly heat the vaporiz ing chamber 42 sufficiently to producesteam. This will take but a short time as there is but a small amount ofwater in this chamber at any time. This steam'will be discharged throughthe port 6 and pipe 60 into the intake manifold. If the temperatureiofthe vaporizing chamber should becomesuch as to generate steam at such arate as to produce any material pressure, the excess steam willbedischarged through the opening 62 and vent 46. The float 5, controllingthe.

valve 50, will maintain the water level constantly at the desired point.

' There is no valve connected with this de-- vice which needs to-beattended to when eamin -er stopping theengine. The entire action isautomatic. I prefer, however, to

employ a control valve which will be set at the proper: opening, andthen left set, much as the setting of the needle valve of a carbureter.This control valve T have shown connected with the jet 7. vThe jet isformed as a T-fitting, into one end of which is secured the jet nozzle71, of any suitable design. In the opposite end Isecure thescrew-threaded control valve 70, which may extend past the opening ofthe lateral branch 72, to which is secured the steam pipe 60. By more orless closing down the opening of the steam branch 72 by the valve 70,the amount of steam supplied may be regulated to the exactly properamount.

A. device of this sort will supply moisture in the small but continuousamount which is desiredin order to secure the best operation of theengine. it will add somewhat to the power of the engine and in additionwill prevent the formation of carbonin the cylinders or, if carbon haspreviously formed therein, it will quickly soften it so that it willsoon disappear.

By discharging heated water vapor, or steam, into the intake manifold,the charge is preheated, which increases the ignition capacity of thecharge and makes it possible to use with satisfactory ignitionylower andheavier grades of fuel.

Wheel claim as my invention is:

1. A" means for automatically supplying water vapor to internalcombustion engines comprising a float chamber, a float therein, a supplyvalve for said chamber controlled by said float, a vaporizing chamberintegral with saidfloat chamber and projecting laterally therefrom at anelevationsuc h'that a portion only of said vaporizing chamber will befilled with water, said vaporizingchamber having an inlet port from thefloat, chamber below the normal water level, and the vaporizing chamberhaving discharge port connecting with its top and a reliefportconnecting said discharge port and the float chamber above the waterlevel therein, and said float chamber having a vent to the at--mosphereabove said water level.

2. A device as in claim 1, wherein said discharge port is laterallycflset from the vaporizing chamber and leads upward therefrom, and isconnected thereto by a substantially horizontal passage;

3. A levice as in claim 1 the vaoorizin J. b

chamber having a wall closing its side next the float chamber, andcommunicating with the float chamber and the discharge port each bya'later'al passage.

4. A device as in claim '1, theinlet port to and the discharge port fromthe vaporizing chamber being in substantial vertical al-inement, and ahorizontal bafiie extending into said chamber between said ports.

-5. A device as in claim 1, the discharge port from the vaporizingchamber being connected thereto by a lateral passage which is locatedabove the normal Water level therein. 6. A device as in claim 1, theinlet port to and the discharge port from the vaporizing 5 chamber beingin substantial vertical alinement, and a horizontal bafile extendinginto said chamber between said ports, the upper Surface of the bafflebeing located above the normal Water level in the vaporizing chamber.

Signed at Seattle, King county, ashington, this 9th day of July, 1920.

ARGHIBALD S. KINCAID.

